How to Get There

Engineering, like many rewarding careers, requires a college degree. To make sure you have the best chance of success take a well-rounded course load in high school and add in as many extra curricular activities as you can manage successfully. There are a number of other things you can do to make the road easier, and following articles will help give you some ideas.

Finding your first internship can be a real challenge. Where do you start? And what type of internship should you look for? That all depends upon what you want, but a little diligence and online resources will help you find and get the internship that is right for you.

A good way to become more skillful in STEM-related subjects as a high school student is to participate in competitions. There are many internationally recognized contests, also known as Olympiads, which can help beef up your resume when applying to college.

Job shadowing is when you spend a day (or part of a day) at work with someone in a career that interests you. You get to observe what people do, ask questions, and maybe even participate in some activities. Job shadowing can give you a preview of a job or career. You may want to try shadowing several different jobs before choosing a college or career. Or shadow different people with the same job. Often people with the same degree or job title do very different things in their day to day work. Setting up a job shadow... Explain who you are and why you're interested in doing a job shadow. Give the person at least two-weeks' notice, and have a calendar handy so you can be sure you are available when they are. Some questions to ask: Where will we meet? What time do I need to arrive/leave? Should I bring a lunch? What should I wear? What’s the best way to reach you if something comes up?

There are many resources available to help you pay for college. The application process for scholarships is very similar to the process for applying to colleges. Here are some tips to help you get started.

Want to be sure you'll have a successful career? Your future success will be determined in large part by your ability to work in teams, communicate your ideas, use different kinds of technology, and to think critically about both problems and opportunities. These life skills are important in every career, and engineering is no exception.

Do you want to travel to Mars?Design houses or create computer software?Do you want to discover a cure to cancer or protect rivers and oceans from pollution?If you do, be sure to take lots of math in school.

Engineering, like many rewarding careers, requires a college degree. Start planning now to take the kinds of classes in high school that will open the doors to a college education and great opportunities in the future.